Administrative Coordinator - Physics

Cal Poly•San Luis, CA

About The Position

The purpose of this position is to provide administrative support to the Physics Department primarily in the areas of academic personnel, budget, curriculum/enrollment, and in general overall operations. Working independently under general supervision, the Physics Administrative Coordinator provides continuity of operations with respect to the department, college and university goals in the context of rotating Department Chair and committee chairs. It is essential that the person in this position provides a welcoming and helpful environment for department visitors as this position is responsible, while working in coordination with the department’s other support staff, for providing procedural and general support to students, parents, faculty, and alumni. The incumbent operates independently within the general guidelines established by the department and has significant autonomy and decision-making responsibility. Department Summary The Physics Department is a major academic unit within the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics (BCSM), and is one of the largest Physics departments in the CSU. Its primary purpose is to offer courses which are required by other technical/science majors such as Engineering, Architecture, Biological Sciences and Agriculture, as well as courses which satisfy GE requirements for other majors. Most courses have laboratory components. The department offers two Physics degrees, the BS and the BA, with a total of about 180 majors and offers three minors in Physics, Astronomy and Geology. The department teaches courses in Astronomy, Geology, Physics and Physical Science. The department is currently composed of a rotating Department Chair, 29 tenured faculty, 7 probationary faculty, 16 full-time lecturers, and 5 part-time faculty (which varies). The department has clerical and administrative support provided by two positions, technical support for labs and shops provided by 3 positions, and about 40 student employees working as tutors, graders and research assistants. For more information about the Physics Department, please see https://physics.calpoly.edu/.

Requirements

Comprehensive and detailed knowledge of, or the ability to quickly learn, department, college, and university policies, procedures, regulations, and precedents; ability to independently interpret, communicate, and apply these policies and procedures across all aspects of department operations — with particular emphasis on fiscal management and academic personnel.
Excellent ability to provide administrative coordination across a wide variety of department matters including budget, personnel, facilities, and overall operations; ability to anticipate departmental needs, independently identify issues requiring action, exercise sound judgment, and proceed toward creative solutions.
Ability to perform business math, analyze budgetary data, and make accurate projections requiring inference; demonstrated ability to track, project, monitor, advise, and oversee departmental budgets.
Excellent ability to work independently; plan, organize, coordinate, and perform long-range activities while managing multiple priorities and responding to a broad range of varying needs as they arise.
Ability to identify, examine, and analyze problems and develop creative and workable solutions; ability to understand problems from a broader perspective and anticipate the impact of solutions on other areas.
Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a very high level of diplomacy and professionalism.
High school diploma or its equivalent.
Type 45 wpm.
Five years of general office support experience or technical experience. (Training at a vocational school or full-time college education may be substituted for two years of the required experience on the basis of one year of college education for 6 months of experience).